Posted July 22, 2017
I'm pretty much against Galaxy. Yet I have tried it, and I think it is possible to consider its various features from a neutral angle, regardless. At least, I will try my very best here:
ACHIEVEMENTS
I think this is a pretty fun feature! It gives the player an incentive to strive for various strange goals. In FTL, in-game achievements are used to unlock new stuff in the game, and that works pretty well.
What I don't get is why this has to be locked to a client with me signed in with my profile. Players care about their own achievements only. Nobody is following their "Friends" achievements, except maybe really weird stalker types. As with FTL, this would work just as fine offline.
Likewise, the single player game Nex Machina is pretty much useless without Galaxy, since the high-score and unlocks are tied to the client.
GAME TIME TRACKING
I like this feature! But again, shouldn't require me to be constantly signed in.
CLOUD SAVING
Only really useful if the user doesn't have their own backup solution. This feature is built on the assumption that the user can't manage their own data.
SCREENSHOTS
Practical, but would be better to have a basic solution.
A NICE POLISHED INTERFACE
The Galaxy GUI are prettier than the default Windows icons. To me, it gives a feeling of comfort. I sort of feel that I am in a different "space" than the windows interface. Some middle ground between the Windows interface and playing.
THE FEELING OF BEING "CONNECTED"
Being "connected" can give a feeling of being connected, being part of something. I remember feeling *disappointed* when I discovered that a game I bought "just" gave me the installation files, and not a Steam code! I wish there were more studies on how our self-image is affected by our online identities - facebook profile, steam profile, and so on. (okay, this is way disjointed - sorry!)
OVERLAY
Allows you to be disturbed by useless crap whilst playing. To me, this sounds more like a bug than a feature. But I'm a bit of an introvert. I don't play games because I want to hang out with Friends.
AUTO-UPDATING GAMES
This is a really practical feature since some games push small updates constantly. Dangerous if you use mods, though. To download an update, I need to be connected with my profile, obviously. But this doesn't warrant the requirement of me being *constantly* connected.
RUNNING GALAXY WITHOUT BEING CONNECTED
I would truly love this feature if it wasn't implemented so horribly. Galaxy goes into aggressive nagware mode if you dare using it without being signed in. Also, some features that shouldn't require you to be signed in will be missing.
FINAL VERDICT
Eh, I dunno. I guess galaxy has some handy features. Yet, most can be acquired elsewhere, in versions that are not crippled by being limited to a closed ecosystem.
ACHIEVEMENTS
I think this is a pretty fun feature! It gives the player an incentive to strive for various strange goals. In FTL, in-game achievements are used to unlock new stuff in the game, and that works pretty well.
What I don't get is why this has to be locked to a client with me signed in with my profile. Players care about their own achievements only. Nobody is following their "Friends" achievements, except maybe really weird stalker types. As with FTL, this would work just as fine offline.
Likewise, the single player game Nex Machina is pretty much useless without Galaxy, since the high-score and unlocks are tied to the client.
GAME TIME TRACKING
I like this feature! But again, shouldn't require me to be constantly signed in.
CLOUD SAVING
Only really useful if the user doesn't have their own backup solution. This feature is built on the assumption that the user can't manage their own data.
SCREENSHOTS
Practical, but would be better to have a basic solution.
A NICE POLISHED INTERFACE
The Galaxy GUI are prettier than the default Windows icons. To me, it gives a feeling of comfort. I sort of feel that I am in a different "space" than the windows interface. Some middle ground between the Windows interface and playing.
THE FEELING OF BEING "CONNECTED"
Being "connected" can give a feeling of being connected, being part of something. I remember feeling *disappointed* when I discovered that a game I bought "just" gave me the installation files, and not a Steam code! I wish there were more studies on how our self-image is affected by our online identities - facebook profile, steam profile, and so on. (okay, this is way disjointed - sorry!)
OVERLAY
Allows you to be disturbed by useless crap whilst playing. To me, this sounds more like a bug than a feature. But I'm a bit of an introvert. I don't play games because I want to hang out with Friends.
AUTO-UPDATING GAMES
This is a really practical feature since some games push small updates constantly. Dangerous if you use mods, though. To download an update, I need to be connected with my profile, obviously. But this doesn't warrant the requirement of me being *constantly* connected.
RUNNING GALAXY WITHOUT BEING CONNECTED
I would truly love this feature if it wasn't implemented so horribly. Galaxy goes into aggressive nagware mode if you dare using it without being signed in. Also, some features that shouldn't require you to be signed in will be missing.
FINAL VERDICT
Eh, I dunno. I guess galaxy has some handy features. Yet, most can be acquired elsewhere, in versions that are not crippled by being limited to a closed ecosystem.
Post edited July 22, 2017 by KasperHviid